MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

CAST: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett
DIRECTOR: P.J. Hogan
PRODUCERS: Jerry Zucker, Ronald Bass
WRITER: Ronald Bass
MUSIC COMPOSER: James Newton Howard

Weddings are fun, but not when the person you are in love with is about to tie the knot with another. And if your love happens to be a very close friend who insists you attend the ceremony, then you are in serious trouble. This is what Julia Roberts’ character, Julianne Potter, has to deal with in My Best Friend’s Wedding, a likeable romantic comedy that will be well attended this month when love is in the air.

Julianne writes culinary guides and has the charming but gay George Downes as her editor, played deliciously by Rupert Everett. When her old friend and lover, Michael O’Neal, played by Dermot Mulroney, calls up and announces his marriage, the green-eyed monster makes a timely appearance. In the past, Julianne had made a pact with Michael that they would get together if they continued with their single status till the age of 28. And now, how could she remain single and be passed over in favour of another? So, she decides to attend her best friend’s wedding and end it at the same time, with the help of dependable George.

Roberts’ engaging performance as the jealous but determined woman who is hell-bent on preventing the marriage adds mirth to the celebrations, while Cameron Diaz as her victim, Kimmy Wallace, is as good, if not better. Diaz’s Kimmy is rich but sincere, intelligent but naive, sassy but humble, and a worthy adversary. Her love for Michael, the common factor, is also the real thing. Director PJ Hogan, who earlier gave us Muriel’s Wedding, does a great job conducting this one, aided by Ronald Bass’s funny screenplay. Weddings can be fun, after all.